Saturday, August 12, 2017

Leadership 2017 Links

The latest from the federal NDP leadership campaign as the August 17 membership deadline approaches. (And for those wondering, it's possible to both check one's membership status and sign up online.)

- Kyle Duggan reports on a new Mainstreet poll showing Charlie Angus with a substantial lead among identified members - confirming where the candidates appear to rank among existing members, but raising the question of whether new members might change the picture on the first ballot.

- Caron has unveiled his climate justice plan,
which notably addresses the international implications of climate
change both by planning to recognize climate migrants and by proposing a
carbon border adjustment tax.

- Kristy Kirkup reports that Singh won't plan to run in a byelection if he wins the leadership - which some voters may see as a problem, but which strikes me as having at least as much upside as downside given how important engagement outside of Ottawa is to building a leader's reputation and connecting with the public.

- Charlie Smith discusses the strengthening left across Canada, and theorizes that it might allow Ashton to win with a promise to be our equivalent to Jeremy Corbyn and Bernie Sanders. And Gerard Di Trolio interviews Ashton about her goals as leader.

- Nora Loreto offers her take on what she hopes to see from the candidates in order to succeed in Quebec.

- Finally, Tom Parkin makes his case to ensure that the disagreements between the candidates stay clean and civil. But I would take issue with where he draws the line - as the debate over how social programs should be structured is surely a legitimate one (particularly on the part of candidates merely defending party policy).